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A key staff member of the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission resigned this week, charging that he was being scapegoated for longstanding problems at the commission and warning that the organization is stretched thin to fill key police positions ahead of next summer's Democratic National Convention.

Operations manager Clifton Crump's resignation on Labor Day was no coincidence, he wrote in an email announcing his departure. He left effective immediately, marking yet more turnover on the commission just as its newest executive director settles into her role.

"Labor matters," he wrote. "Providing a good honest day's work not only matters, but should be acknowledged and compensated accordingly with the potential for advancement in any work setting."

Crump wrote that he had been "patient and understanding" through changes at the commission in the last three years and had tried to be "the one constant" for the commission and staff amid changes in leadership.

"However the hint of my management practices or effectiveness now being questioned, in a manner I perceive as scapegoating me for the longstanding structural and historical problems of the FPC (that are decades in the making), is my tipping point," he wrote.

The Fire and Police Commission is a civilian oversight board for the city's fire and police departments and is one of the oldest and most powerful in the country. The commission's responsibilities include recruiting and testing police and fire employees for hiring and promotion.

Among the challenges facing the commission, Crump wrote, is an organization that has "long been understaffed and overwhelmed" as it is tasked with preparations for the DNC. A pressing concern is updating lists of eligible candidates to fill vacancies at the Police Department ahead of the convention.

Crump also urged leaders to "maintain the highest of standards when appointments are made" to the commission's board and office.

"These should be intense and methodical subject-matter-driven processes and not dissolve into popularity contests or an exercise in lobbying," he wrote. "Unlike most appointments, the business of the FPC literally deals with life and death policy and should be handled with the utmost due diligence."

Crump was a finalist for the executive director position and was interviewed, according to the mayor's office. An attorney retained by Crump disputed that he was interviewed.

His 2018 salary was $86,902.

Crump could not be reached for comment.

His resignation comes on the heels of the July 30 confirmation of Griselda Aldrete as Fire and Police Commission executive director. She was appointed after former Executive Director La Keisha Butler left after a little more than a year to move out of state with her family.

"Mr. Crump was one of the constants in this office and he was respected by elected and community leaders alike," Aldrete wrote in an emailed response to Ald. Robert Bauman. "We as a city must do better at not allowing staff (to) fall through the cracks."

She also echoed Crump's reference to structural issues, writing that she is finding such problems within the commission "on a daily basis." She wrote that she didn't believe these to be the result of any one person but rather systemic issues.

Steven DeVougas, chair of the Fire and Police Commission, said Crump's departure was a great loss of a dedicated person with institutional knowledge. DeVougas also said the commission was short-staffed and underfunded.

Some aldermen criticized Mayor Tom Barrett's handling of the commission and framed Crump's departure as part of larger issues within the city that they say are ultimately the responsibility of the mayor's office.

Barrett's Chief of Staff Paul Vornholt said in a statement that Barrett respects Crump's decision to resign.

"Until his resignation the Mayor had every confidence he would be an asset to the new FPC Executive Director as he has been to the FPC," Vornholt said. "Clifton has been a valuable city employee for many years in several important positions in city government including serving in the Mayor’s office. We wish Clifton the best in his future endeavors."

Ald. Tony Zielinski, who is running against Barrett in next year's spring election, said Crump's resignation was another example of Barrett's mismanagement of key offices that has prompted people to leave.

Ald. Bob Donovan, the chair of the Public Safety and Health Committee, said he was disappointed in Crump's resignation.

"I think his departure is going to hit us very hard at a very challenging time regarding the Fire and Police Commission and many of the demands specifically on the police department," Donovan said.

He agreed with Crump's assessment that he held the FPC together over the course of a series of leadership changes.

Donovan said the city would be in a "real bind" as the DNC draws near if the lists to fill vacancies at the police department are not addressed.

"I suspect the DNC can be very demanding on a police department," he said.

In a statement, Donovan also referenced the "remarkable number of vacancies in high-level positions" within Barrett's administration. Among the examples he cited was the turnover of Fire and Police Commission executive directors, the months-long wait for a permanent commissioner of the Department of Neighborhood Services and the departure of the Health Department's chief deputy commissioner in late August.

Vornholt said the appointments Donovan referenced in his statement are coming soon.

Bauman said he thinks it could potentially affect public safety if the chief is unable to fill vacant positions he needs in his hierarchy.

He also said there has been a "real slippage in the efficiency and effectiveness of city government."

Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton, who also is considering a run for mayor, said he hopes to get to a "sense of normalcy" in a lot of city departments.

"What we are seeing in the Fire and Police Commission right now is not what we would want to call normal, and I'm disappointed that we continually have this level of turmoil and strife within city departments," he said.

Ald. Chantia Lewis called Crump an asset to the city, saying he is very hard to replace. He made notable progress on a series of efforts including diversity and inclusion and community engagement, she said.